Ultra-compact plasmonic waveguide modulators

Metal-dielectric interfaces can support the waves known as surface plasmon polaritons, which are tightly coupled to the interface and allow manipulation of light at the nanoscale. Plasmonics as a subject which studies such waves enables the merge between two major technologies: nanometer-scale electronics and ultra-fast photonics. Plasmonic technologies can lead to a new generation of fast, on-chip, nanoscale devices with unique capabilities. In particular, it could offer a higher bandwidth and reduced power consumption. Recently, there have been efforts towards addressing the challenge of developing new material platforms for integrated plasmonic devices. Furthermore, novel plasmonic materials such as transparent conductive oxides and transition metal nitrides can offer a variety of new opportunities. In particular, they offer adjustable/tailorable and nonlinear optical properties, dynamic switching and modulatio